We're thrilled to reveal the guest curators for Le Guess Who? 2019. During the upcoming edition of the festival, we'll celebrate curated programs by the pioneering voice of Mali, Fatoumata Diawara; award-winning Dutch fashion radical Iris van Herpen & sound artist Salvador Breed; Norwegian multi-disciplinary artist Jenny Hval; shape-shifting electronic producer The Bug; New York avant-garde composer Patrick Higgins; and psychedelic/kraut mystics Moon Duo.
There’s so much more out there that’s worth to explore. These curators will guide & challenge you with a range of inspirations and like-minded artists, including established performers as well as new and upcoming acts with whom they share their musical and cultural ideas.
LGW? 2019 curators
Malian actress and Grammy-nominated musician Fatoumata Diawara has been universally praised as one of Africa’s most trailblazing and outspoken voices. Growing up in the Wassoulou region, she experienced stifling traditions and the oppression of women. In her music, Diawara addresses fierce political topics, fighting for the rights of women and children in her homeland. Her curated program will focus on artists related to afrocubism--a cross-pollination of Malian and Cuban music--and afrofuturism.
Dutch fashion designer Iris van Herpen is widely recognized as one of fashion’s most forward-thinking and free-spirited creators, and her surrealistic designs are celebrated by a.o. Björk, Beyoncé & Solange Knowles, and Tilda Swinton. Van Herpen will curate a musical line-up with her partner, sound artist Salvador Breed, that symbolizes their highly intertwined aesthetics, which have been developed over several years of collaborating on numerous creative projects. Breed preoccupies himself with the way acoustics, natural ambiance, silence and space enrich one another, to expand our notions of listening, experiencing and sensing.
Norwegian multidisciplinary artist Jenny Hval’s work aims to break beyond the confining zones of one specific genre or arts discipline. Hval challenges our expectations and notions of the traditional live performance to form a deeper connection with her audience. It’s an artistic pursuit Le Guess Who? wholeheartedly admires and endorses; Hval’s turn to curate her own line-up feels long overdue.
The music of Oregon’s Moon Duo manifests like a moving painting, punishing and hypnotic at the same time. Recent years have seen them develop into an intoxicating live act continually searching for a new approach to genres like psychedelia, krautrock and disco, a voyage that will be reflected in their curated program.
Whether it’s contemporary composed music or avant-garde exploration, Patrick Higgins consistently uses music as a tool to reflect on social issues, such as climate change, and the role of the individual in a digitized world. Exploring the possibilities and limits of music, the New York-based composer, guitarist and producer presents his selection of like-minded and equally boundary-pushing mavericks.
As The Bug, producer and composer Kevin Martin seamlessly brings extremities together in a righteous, organic way. From stomach-churning noise to the deep pulse of dancehall and dub, The Bug’s appetite for innovation has resulted in some of the most satisfying records and collaborations of the past 20 years. This curatorship innovatively merges noise, metal, hip-hop, dancehall and dub.
All curators, with the exception of Iris van Herpen & Salvador Breed, will perform live at Le Guess Who? 2019. The curated programs will be announced at a later date.
Le Guess Who? 2019 Dates & Tickets
Le Guess Who? 2019 takes place from 7-10 November, throughout the entire city of Utrecht. 4-Day Festival Passes are available now until Thursday, 2 May for €123,00 (incl. service costs). From that date, passes increase to their final price of €148,00. Day tickets will become available at a later date.
For visitors of Le Guess Who? 2019, Stayokay Utrecht City Center now offers a special festival discount on accommodation. More info here.
